There are more different types of collar designs than Pascal had triangles.

I prefer a buttoned-down, pointed collar which is large enough to accommodate a Winsor knot you might see on a cargo vessel carrying spices from Siam, circa 1825.

In the pants world, I still like wearing pleats. Even though they require ironing, 100 percent cotton pants “breathe” better without the no-wrinkle plastic-like material. There is nothing more comfortable than a well-broken-in pair of cotton trousers.

Men can buy these pants with cuffs, without cuffs. Back pockets may be large enough to contain your wallet stuffed with credit cards or too small to use for a gas pump receipt.

The better department stores are in a furious fight with men’s clothing stores. The department stores boast little style oases where one might step into a Calvin Klein collection or a Tommy Hilfiger sports display.

One is almost forced into making more informed decisions. Is the style right for me? Will it fit? Should I get a size larger just in case it is too slim?

Another problem is that one cannot try on a dress shirt that is already held in place by a thousand pins. It is as if the store were telling you: “At least you should know your own size, you uncultured lummock.”

I experienced the opposite. While I was shopping in the Klein oasis, a very cordial senior floor walker approached and asked if I could find everything I needed. I asked him for more sports shirts and he cast a large, well-tailored arm in an arc toward a corner of the store that featured two additional labels.

Somehow I had been captured by the bright lights of the Caribbean resorts and instead of buying a new summer shirt, I ended up buying two, extremely well-tailored and colorful shirts that either Paul McCartney or Elton John (after healing from his recent appendix operation) could wear on concert tour.

They were loud, stylish and made from 100 percent cotton.

Peter Costa is a columnist for GateHouse Media. His latest book is a novel, “The Priest’s Gamble.” It is available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com